This section is intended to introduce the reader to aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure described herein, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure described herein. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) panel installations on residential and business rooftops are becoming more popular, and consequently there is a need for more effective methods for mounting such equipment to roofs. Roof attachment structures for these solar panels are an often-overlooked aspect of system design and cost, but the roof attachment system is in fact one of the most important aspects of a dwelling structure, such as in the event of water leakage or the loss of structural integrity. For example, conventional mounting brackets allow such equipment to be mounted to a roof, but can leave pathways for water to flow under the roof, resulting in an increased likelihood of roof leakage. In addition, conventional metal roof attachments are very labor-intensive and an expensive step in the installation of a solar panel power system, and improvements in the ease of attachment will have a great impact on the total life cycle cost of a solar panel rooftop power system.
Hence, there is a need for a solar panel roof mounting system that allows for relatively easy and inexpensive mounting of different types of equipment to a roof. Such a system would allow solar panel modules to be mounted to a roof that may use a thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) rooftop covering, in lieu of conventional standing seam metal or tile roofs. Further, such a needed invention would provide quick and secure mounting to the roof, roof joist, or both. Such a support mount system can allow various types lowcost brackets to be used and further improve integration with various types and sizes of solar panels.